AgustaWestland secures Super Lynx 300 Contract for Oman

UK ( Westland Press Release ) -
In implementation of the directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, Supreme Commander of the
Oman Armed Forces, to provide the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) with modern helicopters,
His Excellency Sayyid Badr bin Saud al Busaidy, Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs,
signed an agreement on January 19 with Westland Helicopters Ltd, an AgustaWestland company,
to provide RAFO with sixteen Super Lynx 300 helicopters to replace RAFO's current helicopters.

Richard Case, Chairman of Westland Helicopters Ltd, signed the agreement at a special
ceremony. The signing of the agreement came within the context of efforts to modernise and
enhance the Sultan's Armed Forces defence capabilities to keep abreast with the comprehensive
development witnessed by the Sultanate.

The signing ceremony was attended by Air Marshal Mohammed bin Mahfoudh al Ardhy,
RAFO Commander; Air Commodore Said bin Hamdoun al Harthy, Acting Commander RAFO;
Brigadier Rafee bin Hilal al Busaidy, Acting Director-General of Finance and Expenditure,
who is also in charge of the tasks of the Defence Ministry's Under-Secretary; the British
Ambassador to the Sultanate and a number of company officials.

Richard Case remarked that: "The purchase of Lynx 300 by Oman represents an important
chapter in the Lynx 300 success story. This is the third overseas selection of Super Lynx
300 and is the first to be placed by a Middle East customer, clearly recognising the
significant performance advantage that the CTS800 engines bring to the helicopter. Oman,
in particular, has a demanding requirement not only for operating in hot environments but
also at altitudes up to 10,000ft. The investment that we have made in the Super Lynx 300
programme clearly demonstrates AgustaWestland's commitment to maintain the lead position
of Lynx in the global helicopter market."

Super Lynx 300 incorporates the powerful CTS800 engines, jointly developed by Rolls-Royce
and Honeywell, complimented with a newer, more powerful Full Authority Digital Engine Control
(FADEC) that delivers low maintenance, enhanced performance and excellent economy. In addition,
it will feature an integrated "glass cockpit", a 10,000 hour airframe and state-of-the-art
sensors and avionics management.

This selection by Oman brings with it, membership of an International Lynx Club that
has logged extensive military flying experience of over 1.5 million hours. The Super Lynx
300 variant reflects the latest standard in the successful Lynx Helicopter family which has
consistently adapted, improved and kept pace with users' changing requirements.

Over 400 Lynx helicopters have been sold to fourteen operators around the world. In 1998,
Westland launched the Super Lynx 300 programme representing a new generation of the Lynx
helicopter. Malaysia placed an order for six Super Lynx in 1999 and the Royal Thai Navy
confirmed its order for two Super Lynx 300 in August 2001.